19 February 2005

Kim Reappears - At a Russian Dance Show

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has once again made a public appearance, after laying low for the Lunar New Year celebration, preparing for his birthday celebration and announcing to the world that he has nuclear weapons. Kim took in a Russian song and dance performance, according to KCNA. The art troop performed such classics as “In Memory of Defenders of the Motherland,” “Evening in Suburbs of Moscow,” “Song Devoted to Comrade Kim Jong Il,” and of course “Song of General Kim Jong Il” and “General of Korea.”

Just a bit of trivia, the Song of General Kim Jong Il (available for download at NAENARA site) was one of the songs that North Korea claims to have broadcast from the Kwangmyongsong satellite, which was what the 1998 Taepodong launch was supposed to have put into orbit. Most evidence, however, shows a failure of the third stage seperation, and the satellite simply plopping down in the Pacific - on the other side of Japan.